Posted on 01/18/2017 2:12:52 PM PST by originalbuckeye
Sorry for the vanity. I have been on Medicare for a few months. I am paying extra for Part B and Part D, and on top of that, my husband is still working, so we are penalized for the 'one person working' situation.
I do have Plan F. And so far, it has been pretty good for the walk-in clinic.....no Dr of course (as Obama, you really don’t NEED to see a DR every time you are sick : (............My doctors are at a hospital that doesn’t take Advantage. I am relieved that I will be able to see the doctors I have been seeing for years, but am not clear if everything will be covered. Prayers up for all of us. And I didn’t get an SS raise this year, in fact I am getting about $15/month less than last year. I don’t have the patience of energy to fight for the $15/month. Yep, sucks to be getting older.........
I hope the best for you. I’m 60 this year and will be dealing with your same issues shortly. The wife and I hope to be retiring in a couple of years at age 62, all depending on the cost of medical insurance. We could retire now but are unsure about the future. Neither of my parents seen 70 years old and I probably won’t see it either.
When I took early retirement, I paid around $1000 per month for a 5000 dollar deductible and had no drug benefits. I have no complaints about cost of Medicare to me - it is a bargain.
Companies are by law required to subsidize about 50% of the cost of health insurance they offer employees (not sure if ACA changed that percentage). So the answer to your question is related to what the Employer is doing.
Now I pay around $300 per month for Medicare A&B, Supplement F and Medicare part B. The F supplement is from Mutual of Omaha, and that was the cheapest price for the exact same product.
The Mutual of Omaha agent reviews the Part D program and informs me once a year what’s available and potential cost for the meds I take on a regular basis. My copays for three different meds this year: $1.20, 6.83, 8.50 per month. So far my copays plus part D premiums are essentially equal to what the drugs would have cost with out the plan.
My pharmacy will only charge me the cost of the drugs-ie cost basis, when that is less than the insurance co-pay.
In general, I refuse to take “new” meds. I prefer generic, or OTC, because the side effects are well known and documented. That also helps me to keep my costs low.
IIRC, Medicare is not allowed to negotiate prices with the drug companies, but private insurance does. Medicare does dictate what doctors and hospitals will be paid for services.
They often pay less than 50% of the amount billed. This contributes to a shortage of doctors accepting Medicare, and also means that those who do accept it, must make up the difference in the individual market.
Medicare premiums after age 65 are a real bargain. Private Insurance would have adjusted these prices upwards a long time ago. Private Insurance is by default subsidizing the current outgo of Medicare payments for treatment. The Employers are subsidizing the cost of insurance for their Employees.
The individual who has to purchase a plan directly, and the person with no insurance are the ones that experience a huge discrepancy in cost, since they are not subsidized, and cost shifting described above.
I am very happy with the cost of my Medicare insurance and co-pays. I repeat - it is a bargain.
Do you have a Federally Qualified Health Center located near to you? Their cost of care is usually below that of others, and they welcome Medicare patients. They will also typically make a payment arrangement, if you need it.
My mother uses F from Mutual of Omaha also, and it works well. I hear that all F supplements will be discontinued before I turn 65 in three years, unfortunately.
I had not heard that. I hope not. I am sick of Washington throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
FQHCs are community-based organizations that provide comprehensive primary care and preventive care, including health, oral, and mental health/substance abuse services to persons of all ages, regardless of their ability to pay or health insurance status. Thus, they are a critical component of the health care safety net.[2] FQHCs are called Community/Migrant Health Centers (C/MHC), Community Health Centers (CHC), and 330 Funded Clinics.
It just really irks me to hear people bitch about paying small amounts for co pays and insurance. We’ve been paying so much for insurance for so many years now. Hubby retired 12 years ago so we were still on his employers plan but paid full price for it. It was $700 a month for me and $700 for him at the time. I finally found cheaper insurance for me but then they just kept raising the price on him. We’ve been paying $1300-1400 a month for years now. hearing people gripe about small amounts just makes me want to scream. Lol
Sorry. Rant off.
I have found that sometimes I can get better pricing with a coupon from GoodRX than I can through my insurance.
I pointed out similar data up thread #44 - I paid around 1000 per month for myself with a 5000 dollar deductible and no drug benefit. I don’t get irk’d, but I am sometimes surprised that people don’t know the true cost of insurance, and the benefits that they are actually getting.
Yeah looks like we were in kind of the same boat. It bothers me to hear them gripe about small amounts. I see it as part of the reason the country is where it is now with insurance. Everyone wants gold plated insurance but doesn’t want to pay for it.
My gripe is that Obamacare has escalated insurance and medical payments to ridiculous amounts. I worked for 50 years and expected to have more of my health care covered. Especially after paying for health insurance AND Medicare for all those 50 years.
Obama care was specifically to benefit the Insurance Companies. They had been lobbying and drooling for years to get an individual mandate. What happened was entirely predictable.
When Medicare was being debated, I was in high school and on the debate team-debating pros and cons. After the bill passed, I asked my Grandfather about the impact of the final bill. He brought out a pamphlet that had a white cross on it.
The cost was less, and the coverage better, but it was to be phased out, so Medicare was the only option. Anyone alive at that time and anyone with a brain knew that Obama’s keep your plan and keep your doctor was a lie. That’s why it was opposed so strongly. Congresscritters didn’t listen.
That’s what led to the T Party movement. So you ain’t the lone ranger - we all have a gripe and it ain’t just with medical insurance. However, those of us who have experienced even worse expenses like to chime in too.
When I started working for my company, retirement health care insurance was guaranteed paid for by the company. Merger after merger, and that was taken away. Still I was lucky. Many companies lost not only health care, but their entire retirement, and after 40 years of working, basically had to start all over.
I counted on a lot of things too, and started working when I was just 13. What has happened sucks big time. I am just grateful that I didn’t also loose my retirement funds, but realistically, that could be the next shoe to fall, if the financial system gets another hit.
Well I wouldn’t call a $20 copay excessive. Even with hubby paying an exhorbitant amount for private insurance he still had a few $20-30 copays.
Also there are other options. Look around. I switched my moms scrips to target because they were all on their $4 list. Walmart also has a list where they all cost the same. I used to get my dad’s heart mess filled at Costco because they were cheapest there. Sometimes you have to shop.
We have started asking about non insurance cost. If cheaper, we tell them not to run it on ins.
That's only true if you don't get sick away from home. Advantage plans are like a PPO, with very limited coverage away from home.
Kaiser is everywhere
Look at it this way, it cost $12 for each of you. #;^)
If you are taking long term Medications, see if your Plan (I assume you have a Supplemental Plan) has a Mail Order option.
Mail Order usually costs half as much as refilling a 30 day Prescriptions. Normally you receive a 90 Day Supply and you don’t have to go out and wait in line to get your Drugs at the Pharmacy.
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